Esdeath Vs Valeria Olyndra

Before starting the chapter, I have a very very important question... In final match who should fight each other?

Ethan vs Maruti?

Ethan vs Esdeath?

Or Esdeath Vs Maruti?

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A short break was announced following the battle between Kaelith and Sylvania.

During this time, Maruti regained consciousness, Sylvania was healed by the academy's healers, and Princess Ravenna's injuries were fully treated. After half an hour, the audience returned to their seats, buzzing with excitement. The atmosphere was different now—this was the second half of the battle arena, and everyone knew the fights would only grow more intense and terrifying.

As the crowd settled back into their seats, Esdeath made her way to her spot but chose to sit next to Maruti instead of Ethan this time.

"Ugh… I feel like throwing up. What the hell even happened back there?" Maruti grumbled, scratching her head with frustration.

"There's no need for you to know," Esdeath replied bluntly, her tone dismissive but calm.

On the other side of the arena, Ethan sat beside Sylvania, who slammed her head onto the seat in front of her. Her face burned a deep crimson, radiating embarrassment.

"So humiliating... I fainted because of my own spell! Why?! Why, why, why?!" she groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Violet said, her voice kind and reassuring. "It happens to the best of us, and besides, it's not like your opponent was just some nobody."

Hearing this, Sylvania gave a small, reluctant nod, though her cheeks still flushed with embarrassment. She sat quietly, trying to shrink into her seat as murmurs and whispers echoed through the arena.

But then, as if on cue, the entire crowd went silent. The air shifted, growing heavy with tension.

All eyes turned toward the top section of the arena—the luxury seating reserved for the academy's most esteemed guests. But it wasn't the seats themselves that captured everyone's attention; it was the figure who had just arrived.

Lortell Mariette.

Her tall, commanding presence was impossible to ignore. As always, she wore extravagant clothing—layers of fine fabric so large and flowing they dragged across the ground despite her towering figure. Her every movement exuded an air of untouchable authority, and as she took her place on the throne-like seat, her piercing eyes swept over the arena.

Not a single person dared to meet her gaze.

"Lortell…" Esdeath muttered softly, her lips curling into a faint smile as she caught sight of the woman.

"The next match is between Valeria Olyndra from Class A and Esdeath Crimson from Class A!" the referee announced, his voice echoing through the arena.

"Me? Already?" Esdeath thought, a hint of surprise flashing across her face. She glanced up toward the luxury seating where Lortell Mariette had just taken her place. "What a coincidence," Esdeath mused. "She shows up, and now it's my turn?"

Lortell sat on her throne-like chair, her face uncharacteristically serene. Something good must have happened between her and her father—it was the only explanation for her good mood. But as soon as the referee called Esdeath's name, her expression shifted ever so slightly. Her lips curled downward, and her eyes narrowed as they settled on Valeria.

"Hmph… If that elf dares to injure my Esdeath too much, I'll make sure she pays for it!" Lortell muttered coldly, her voice dripping with menace as she glared at Valeria from her seat.

Valeria Olyndra, the only elf in Class A, walked toward the arena gracefully, her bow strapped securely to her back. Unlike human archers, she didn't carry any arrows. She didn't need to.

As an elf, Valeria's connection to the elements was far deeper than any human's. She could summon arrows made purely of wind and mana, forming them into physical shapes. It was a skill that required immense talent and precision—something that even most Rank C human awakeneds could only dream of mastering.

Esdeath followed shortly after, walking into the arena with her usual relaxed yet confident stride. She casually patted her shoulders and adjusted her skirt as she moved, ensuring nothing was out of place. She didn't want to risk disappointing Lortell—not even for a second.

As she approached the center of the arena, her head was slightly lowered, but her sharp, calculating eyes peeked upward toward the luxury seats. Her gaze locked onto Lortell, who was watching her intently.

"She's looking at me, right?" Esdeath thought, her heart pounding with determination. "I need to make this look good—I need to flex!

Her lips twitched into the smallest of smirks, and she rolled her shoulders back, standing tall as her fingers lightly tapped the grip of her gun.

"Begin!" the referee shouted, her voice ringing across the arena.

BANG!

Esdeath wasted no time, firing her gun the moment the match started. The bullet shot through the air with deadly precision, but just as it was about to hit Valeria, a translucent green sphere of energy enveloped her. The bullet disappeared the moment it touched the shield.

"Pftt... What a joke!" Valeria chuckled, her confidence unshaken. She casually reached for her bow and pulled back its string.

As she did, an arrow began to form, glowing with a mix of green and white. The energy shimmered like it was alive, giving the arrow an almost spiritual appearance.

"Say goodbye, tall girl!" Valeria smirked before releasing the arrow.

The glowing projectile shot through the air at a blinding speed, heading straight for Esdeath.

But then—

Swish...

Just as the arrow was about to hit its mark, it vanished into thin air.

The crowd gasped, their eyes wide with shock. Even Valeria froze, her confidence crumbling as her face turned pale.

"W-what happened?" she stammered, her voice trembling with disbelief.

"Fufufufu..."A soft chuckle escaped Esdeath's lips as she stood there, calm and unscathed.

"What? What did you do?" Valeria demanded, panic creeping into her voice as she tried to summon another arrow. But this time, nothing happened. Only a faint breeze stirred in the air, her attempt failing completely.

"Nothing personal," Esdeath said with a sly grin. "I just have a stronger connection with the wind element than you. That's why you can't attack me using it."

Her words echoed through the arena, leaving everyone stunned. The crowd erupted into murmurs, disbelief written all over their faces. Even Lortell and Lilith, who rarely showed much emotion, looked visibly surprised.

"What? A human has more control over the wind element than a high elf? How is that even possible?"

"This is absurd! Completely absurd!"

Valeria's face twisted in rage. Her pride as an elf, and a descendant of the great Hou Yi Olyndra, was being shattered.

"A-ABSURD! HOW CAN THIS BE?" she screamed, her voice filled with frustration. "ME? A MAIN FAMILY DESCENDANT OF THE OLYNDRA CLAN?. ..THE GREAT HOU YI OLYNDRA, HOW CAN A MERE HUMAN SURPASS ME IN CONNECTING WITH THE ELEMENT?"

Desperation flickered in her eyes as she pulled her bowstring again, determined to fight back. This time, instead of relying on her usual friendly connection with the wind, she forced the element to obey her will.

Slowly, the arrow began to form, its glowing energy more intense than before. Valeria's face twisted in concentration, sweat dripping down her brow as she poured everything she had into dominating the element.

Esdeath's calm demeanor wavered, her teeth gritting in anger. Watching the wind element respond to Valeria's forceful will sparked a fire in her chest.

"You dare to betray me and go to her?" Esdeath muttered under her breath. Her voice rose into a furious shout. "COME BACK!"

But nothing happened. Valeria's arrow continued to take shape, glowing brighter with power.

Esdeath's fists clenched, her anger growing. She took a step forward, her voice booming this time. "I SAID FUCKING COME BACK TO ME!"

Swish....

The arrow in Valeria's hands suddenly vanished, just like before.

But because of shouting, a bright green aura began to leak from her body, swirling around her like a storm. The aura expanded, filling the entire arena.

But only the awakened could see it. To ordinary people, the arena appeared unchanged, leaving them confused.

"A-A Rank C essence stone?" Ethan gasped, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yes! There's no doubt about it!" Sylvania exclaimed, her voice trembling. "It's the aura of a Rank C essence stone. But… how does she even have one? And how can she use it? Even I can't!"

Even Violet's face turned pale, her usually calm demeanor shaken.

Lilith, standing among the teachers, narrowed her eyes as she recognized the aura immediately. "Overlord Essence Stone?" she muttered under her breath, watching Esdeath closely.

The Overlord Essence Stone, It was a rule-path essence stone, one that granted complete domination over the element the user has affinity with. Normally, the connection between Esdeath and the wind element would be nothing special—a typical human affinity. But with this essence stone, Esdeath had full control over the wind element.

"How could Valeria possibly compete against that?" Lilith thought, her mind racing.

She quickly reached a conclusion. "Only top-tier Rank C users or those above can negate the effects of an Overlord Essence Stone. No wonder Valeria couldn't do a single thing against her."

But another question gnawed at her. "How did Esdeath get such a powerful essence stone? The Overlord Essence Stone is one of the rarest Rank C stones."

Her gaze shifted toward Lortell, who sat calmly in the luxury seats, watching Esdeath with an almost possessive look in her eyes.

"Did Lortell give it to her?" Lilith wondered, her thoughts growing heavier.

Then, as she turned her attention back to Esdeath, her eyes widened in shock.

"Her mana… It's grown over 80 times more than last time!"

Lilith's mind reeled. The last time she had assessed Esdeath, her mana pool was far below average for an awakened. But now, it was nearly comparable to that of a Rank C.

"What kind of monstrous growth rate is this?" Lilith thought, unable to hide her surprise.

But what could anyone do? The battle arena was a place where the strong thrived, a brutal test of survival of the fittest. It wasn't Esdeath's fault she possessed such a rare and powerful essence stone—or that she could wield it so effectively.

Meanwhile, Valeria stood frozen, the realization sinking in. Without the ability to use her wind element, and with no physical arrows to fight, she had no way to continue. The match was already over.

"The winner is Esdeath Crimson!" the referee announced, his voice cutting through the stunned silence of the arena.

Esdeath concealed the faint green glow of the Rank C aura as she turned and walked away from the arena. A bright smile spread across her face, full of satisfaction.

"It's a good thing I used Lortell's potion to temporarily increase my mana. Lortell must be very impressed with me now!" she thought, her heart racing with excitement.

It wasn't that Esdeath's mana was particularly low. After looting the treasures of Trynne and using them to enhance her strength, she had accumulated enough mana to barely use a Rank C essence stone. However, sustaining it for a long period of time was another matter entirely. Overusing it would drain her mana pool, leaving her unable to use other essence stones when needed.

That's why she had decided to drink the potion Lortell gave her. The potion temporarily boosted her mana, just enough for her to "flex" in front of Lortell during the match.

Satisfied with her performance, Esdeath left the arena with a content expression, feeling proud of her cleverness and the attention she believed she had earned.

---

Meanwhile, in the spectator seats, Emma sat with a puzzled look on her face. Something Valeria had said earlier was still bothering her.

"Who's Hou Yi that Valeria was talking about?" Emma finally asked, breaking the silence.

At once, Violet, Ethan, and Sylvania all turned to stare at her like she had grown a second head.

"What? You *really* don't know who Hou Yi is?" Sylvania asked, her tone almost disbelieving.

"N-No… Is he really that famous?" Emma stammered, feeling embarrassed by their reactions.

Ethan let out a sigh before answering, "In ancient history, it's written that Hou Yi was one of the greatest archers in existence, and the most legendary archer from the White Elves. Despite being mortal, he is said to have defeated a god and later married the second moon goddess, Chang'e."

Emma's eyes widened in awe as Ethan continued. "But because a mortal can't have children with a god, Hou Yi married other women and had many descendants. All his descendants are known for their incredible natural talent in archery."

"Wow… You really know a lot!" Emma said, genuinely impressed by Ethan's knowledge.

Ethan, however, left out an important detail. What the ancient stories didn't reveal was that the "god" Hou Yi defeated wasn't some divine entity but a star constellation known as Desolate Rising Flames. Likewise, the "moon goddess" Chang'e wasn't an actual deity but another star constellation.